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Card Storage - Album

In the little collecting I am doing these days...I am constantly debating between ultimate card protection and the ability to enjoy and view my cards conveniently. I believe that storage in an album is the easiest and nicest way to view cards but I'm concerned that this might be a more dangerous way to store them...as opposed to say a top loader.

What are your criteria to help you decide between pages in an album and a top loader (or other rigid case)? Is it rarity or value (which is different obviously)?

Here is an example. I am currently slowly trying to assemble a 1967 Topps FB complete set. My next goal might be a 1966. Neither of these sets are extremely valuable...but they do have some nicer cards in them (Namath, Kemp, ect). Ideally...I would like to store both sets in an album for easy viewing. But, I am concerned about card protection. I am not searching for ultimate high grade cards..just cards that look nice. But, some wear is OK.

How would you store something like this? If you would choose an album and pages...are there a specific type of album and page that you think gives better protection than others?

For all of my base/inserts/#'d inserts/refractors, they go in a binder. Only thing not in a binder is autos/game used/patches/etc...

I am putting together a 1986 Topps set, and that will go in a binder when done. There are a few nicer cards in the set, but they will likely go in the binder as well. I may look for dupes of some of those nicer ones, too.

Do what you think is best for your collection. If it doesn't bother you to have nicer cards out of a set, then put them in a toploader or something. Otherwise show the set the way it was meant to be, with all the cards in the binder. Up to you.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? If I do use pages in a binder...are there a particular brand of pages that are superior? In the past, I think I used ultrapro platinum...is there a better brand out there or is this what I should use? Also, do you guys just use a standard D-ring binder or is there a special type/brand that is better?

On binders make sure that on of the middle prongs is flat instead of both of them being rounded...I don't know if that statement makes sense, but I always look for binders that have one prong that is straight, flat and sits perpendicular to the back of the binder so that you don't have pages slide underneath the prong and get damaged that way.

I try to use the UltraPro pages if I can. I bought some awhile back and they weren't what I wanted at all. They are flimsy and don't have much strength in supporting the cards. Kind of crazy that something like that could happen, but it does. Usually I just go to Target and get a binder for my cards. I haven't noticed if it's good or bad at all, though.

I actually have most of my cards in binders and I'm not really worried about card protection with this storage method. As long as you treat the binders carefully the cards should be quite well protected.

One thing though: I have noticed that pocket pages tend to get sort of wavy or sometimes bent at the bottom when you store the binders like you usually do, meaning standing up with the back to the side. Therefore I have stored mine with the back up and the pages hanging sort of loosely down. I think this provides better protection for the cards.

The Ultra Pro Platinum pages are quite nice, good sturdy plastic and the cards present well. Some advice, try to lay your binders flat instead of resting them on their spine vertically like a book. As Porbeagle mentioned they tend to ruffle at the bottom and can bend inward.

I keep the majority of my collection in binders as I like to have them display easily. Albeit, I can count the number of cards in my collection worth more than $50 on one hand, so you might want to use toploaders for higher ends cards.

I've done 3 PC's of different players and keep each in binders. One player, Troy Aikman, is actually in 5 different binders so far. The really expensive cards usually came to me in pricier cases so on some of those I kept them like they are. The other two players, Jay Novacek and Ty Detmer, I keep all their cards in the binders.

One thing I did for all of them is put the cards in the order they appear in the becket price list and if I don't have the card that space is blank. It's kinda cool to see having sometimes 10 pages without missing a card.